Monitoring ground-engaging products for earth working equipment

ABSTRACT

A product and system for identifying and monitoring a characteristic including the part ID, presence, condition, usage and/or performance of ground-engaging products used on various kinds of earth working equipment.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of pending application Ser. No.15/043,482, filed Feb. 12, 2016, entitled “Monitoring Ground-EngagingProducts For Earth Working Equipment,” which claims priority benefits toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/116,216 filed Feb. 13, 2015and entitled “Wear Part Monitoring,” U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/151,124 filed Apr. 22, 2015 and entitled “Wear Part Monitoring,”U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/175,109 filed Jun. 12, 2015and entitled “Wear Part Monitoring,” U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/198,552 filed Jul. 29, 2015 and entitled “Wear Part Monitoring,”and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/234,463 filed Sep. 29,2015 and entitled “Monitoring for Earth Working Equipment,” each ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a device and system for identifyingand monitoring characteristics such as part identification, presence,condition, usage and/or performance of ground-engaging products such asground engaging tools, wear plates, buckets, truck trays, and the likeused on various kinds of earth working equipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In earth working activities (e.g., mining, construction and dredging),ground engaging products are commonly provided on all kinds of earthworking equipment (e.g., draglines, cable shovels, face shovels,hydraulic excavators, buckets, blades, rippers, dredge cutter heads,etc.) to protect the underlying equipment from undue wear and, in somecases, also perform other functions such as breaking up the ground aheadof the digging edge. Ground engaging products include, for example,buckets that mount on excavating machines, lips that attach to buckets,and teeth and shrouds that are secured to lips.

During use, ground-engaging products for earth working equipment canencounter heavy loading and highly abrasive conditions, which leads towear or damage to the products, less remaining wear life of theproducts, and reduced efficiency for the earth working equipment.Moreover, a ground engaging product will occasionally encounter amaterial that is harder than the surrounding material being mined (e.g.,a rock), subjecting the product to impact and/or higher loading that maylead to deformation, cracking, and/or a higher wear rate of the productthan would otherwise be expected. The increase in the wear rate and/ordamage caused to the ground engaging product may lower the totaleffective wear life of the product. If the products are not replaced atthe appropriate time, a product may wear beyond the expected life and/orbreak or become unexpectedly separated, which may result in lowerequipment digging efficiency, and may expose other components of theexcavating equipment leading to the other components experiencingunnecessary wear.

Heavy loading and abrasive conditions can cause ground engaging productsto become disengaged and separated from the earth working equipment. Theoperators of earth working equipment are not always able to see when aground engaging product has become separated. A separated groundengaging product may cause damage to downstream processing equipment.For example, if a separated ground engaging product is fed into acrusher, the product may be ejected and cause a hazard to workers, or itmay become jammed and cause costly crusher downtime. A jammed crusherrequires shutting down the machine and having an operator dislodge thepart, which at times may be a difficult, time-consuming and/or hazardousprocess. Additionally, continuing to operate the excavating equipmentwith missing ground engaging products can decrease overall productivity,and may cause the base, upon which the product was secured, toexperience unnecessary wear.

There are existing systems that have been used to monitor wear parts inan effort to determine when a wear part needs replacement and/or hasbeen lost with varying degrees of success. For example, the Tooth-WearMonitoring system and Missing Tooth Detection system sold by MotionMetrics uses an optical camera mounted on the boom of the excavatingequipment to determine the amount of wear in the wear parts and whenwear parts are lost. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 8,411,930 discloses asystem that relies on a video camera mounted to the boom of anexcavating machine for detecting damaged or missing wear members.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,870,485, a spring-loaded switch is provided betweenwear part components so that when the components separate, an electricalswitch activates a radio transmitter alerting the operator that a wearpart has been separated. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,031, an actuator isattached between the tooth and the nose, which, in one example, actuatesa smoke canister to provide a visual signal that the tooth has fallenoff.

U.S. Patent Application 2014/0311762 discloses a sensor within themounting cavity of the wear part to measure the level of wear in thepart. The sensor communicates the sensed data wirelessly to a processorfor determining the level of wear. Fitting the sensor at the inner endof the cavity protects the sensor from wear and damage, and permits itto measure the wearable end of the part. Similarly, PCT Application WO2012/0122587 discloses a system for monitoring wear in a liner or otherground engaging product by installing a sensor through the thickness ofthe part and connecting the remote end of the sensor to a processor fordetermining the level of wear. The remote end can connect to theprocessor via a cable or a wireless connection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to devices and systems for monitoringground-engaging products for earth working equipment. The system can beused to monitor characteristics such as the part identification,presence, condition, usage and/or performance of ground-engagingproducts used on earth working equipment in mining, construction andother earth working environments.

In one aspect of the invention, the system may include at least onemonitoring device associated with a ground engaging product, at leastone remote device to cooperate with the monitoring device, andprogrammable logic to process the information communicated between thedevices. The programmable logic uses the information to determinecharacteristics including, e.g., part identification, presence,condition, usage and/or performance of the ground engaging productattached to the earth working equipment.

In another aspect of the invention, ground-engaging products for earthworking equipment are provided with one or more monitoring deviceproximate an external portion of the ground engaging product to limitsignal blockage and increase reliability of the system. In oneembodiment, the monitoring device includes a sensor, a wirelesscommunication device and a battery contained within a recess open to anexterior of the ground engaging product and outside of the innermounting cavity or other inner side of the ground engaging product.Contrary to conventional wisdom, a monitoring device located outside ofthe cavity or other inner surface of the ground-engaging products cansurvive in an earth working environment, such as digging, and canprovide increased signal strength and reliability of the system.

In another aspect of the invention, a monitoring device is secured toone or more elements used to couple, protect, or otherwise enhanceand/or enable the ground engaging assemblies. For example, themonitoring device may be secured to a lock holding a ground-engagingproduct to a base for earth working equipment. Such placement ispreferably similarly outside of the cavity or other inner surface of theproduct for increased signal strength and reliability of the system.Further, placement of the monitoring system in or on the lock tends toprovide a level of protection from premature damage and enables thedetection of product loss. The use of a monitoring device associatedwith the lock can also detect events and/or relative movement betweenthe product and the base in ways different from monitoring devices on orin the ground-engaging product, such as, for example, verification ofproper lock installation.

In one embodiment of the invention, a lock for securing aground-engaging product to a base for earth working equipment has atleast one recess for receiving a monitoring device. In one example, oneor more recesses may also be formed in the bit portion and/or mountingportion of a point. In another example, the recess can be in a lockengageable by a tool to adjust the lock for installation and removal ofthe product from the base.

In another aspect of the invention, a monitoring device can be locatedin a structure outside of the primary wear surfaces of the groundengaging product. In one embodiment, the monitoring device can belocated within a lifting eye for the ground engaging product.

In another aspect of the invention, one or more monitoring device may bedisposed relative to one or more surfaces of the ground engaging productsubjected to wear such that the monitoring device(s) can measuremultiple locations on the product and/or multiple kinds of data (such aswear, impact, etc.) experienced during digging.

In another aspect of the invention, ground engaging products areprovided with removable monitoring devices. The use of a temporarymounting arrangement permits, for example, the same monitoring device tobe used with different ground engaging products, different monitoringdevices with different sensors to be used collectively or independentlyin the same ground engaging product, replacement of damaged or brokenmonitoring devices, and/or replacement of monitoring devices with low ordead batteries. In one embodiment, a sensor may be secured in a bodythat is mechanically attached to the product for easy and quickinstallation and removal. As one example, a sensor may be retained in amechanically attached lifting eye for a ground engaging product. Asanother example, the sensor may be secured to resilient plug fit intorecess.

In another aspect of the invention, each ground engaging product on adigging edge includes at least one monitoring device. The monitoringdevices are detected by each other and/or a remote device to determinewhether they are in established relative positions for the equipment onwhich they are secured. Loss of a product member is detected when onemonitoring device deviates beyond a certain range from its establishedposition, or orientation.

In another aspect of the invention, a product is provided with amonitoring device that communicates wirelessly using any of a variety ofradio frequency protocols. The particular protocol may depend on theparticular application and/or environment. A radio frequency device inaccordance with the present disclosure may transmit characteristics suchas part ID, presence, condition, usage and/or performance of the groundengaging product.

In another aspect of the invention, a monitoring device is secured to aground engaging product to monitor characteristics such as part ID,presence, condition, usage and/or performance of the ground engagingproduct. As examples, the at least one monitoring device may include oneor more sensors from a group consisting of radio frequency enabledmodules, orientation sensors, temperature sensors, accelerometers,proximity sensors, force sensors, and position sensors.

In another aspect of the invention, a monitoring device secured to aground engaging product is used to detect its presence in a body ofmaterial (such as in the load of a haul truck, dump pile, etc.). Thisfeature can improve the ability to locate a lost ground engaging productand reduce the risk of damaging or jamming downstream processingequipment (e.g., a crusher).

In another aspect of the invention, remote devices can be provided onother equipment related to the monitored earth working equipment. In oneembodiment, a remote device can be provided on the top, side edge of acrusher hopper, a side edge of a haul truck tray, and the like, todetect characteristics such as the presence of the ground engagingproducts on the bucket, tracking the number of loads to fill the trucktray, monitor the speed of digging cycles, etc. In another embodiment, aremote device can be provided on a truck, handheld device, otherstandalone equipment, etc.

In another aspect of the invention, a remote device can provide an alertto an operator (e.g., of a digging machine or haul truck), remotesupervisor, etc. to indicate at least one of the monitoredcharacteristics, e.g., the loss of a ground engaging product from abucket, the presence of a ground engaging product in the haul truckload, a ground engaging product approaching fully worn condition, aground engaging product exceeding target impact loads during use, etc.

In another aspect of the invention, a monitoring device can providereal-time assessment of characteristics of an operation. For example,the monitoring device can monitor the load gathered in a bucket and inthe truck tray being filled to provide information to the operator onmore efficiently filling the truck tray.

In another aspect of the invention, a monitoring device can be used tocapture data usable to map a mine site or other earth working site toestimate characteristics of the ground-engaging products on earthworking equipment used at the site. For example, the gathered data couldbe used to generate contour-style mapping of wear rates forground-engaging products to better determine such things as productreplacement schedules, costs, etc. The data could be used to map othercharacteristics or process the site data in ways other than mapping togenerate similar information.

The various above-noted aspects and embodiments of the invention can beused independently of each other or collectively with all or some of thedifferent aspects of the invention. The noted aspects are exemplarysummary observations of certain ideas of the various concepts of theinvention and are not intended to be exhaustive or essential. To gain animproved understanding of the advantages and features of the invention,reference may be made to the following description and accompanyingFigures that describe and illustrate various configurations and conceptsrelated to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a mining excavator.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hoe bucket.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lip of a bucket with teeth andshrouds.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the tooth assemblies shown inFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the tooth assembly shown inFIG. 4.

FIG. 5A is a cross section view of the tip taken along line 5A-5A inFIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of another example toothassembly.

FIG. 7A is a side view of the tooth assembly mounted on a lip.

FIG. 7B is a scaled up partial cross-section view illustrating amonitoring device installed in the tooth shown in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a first bucket with a remote device.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a second bucket with a remote device.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a vehicle with a remote device.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a bucket and a handheld remote device.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a mining excavator illustrating a number ofsignal paths.

FIG. 13A is a side view of a bucket of a front loader and standalonedevice to pick up a signal from a sensor

FIG. 13B is a side view of a bucket of a front loader and a portion of amaterial receptacle.

FIG. 14A is a schematic view illustrating an example monitoring device.

FIG. 14B is a cutaway view illustrating an example monitoring device.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view illustrating another example monitoringdevice.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a pin component of a lock with amonitoring device.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the pin component.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 18-18 in FIG. 16.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an alternative lock.

FIG. 20 is a side view of the alternative lock with a monitoring device.

FIG. 21 is a top view of a fines plug with a monitoring device.

FIG. 22 is a top perspective view of the fines plug shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a bottom perspective view of the fines plug shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 24 is a side view of the fines plug shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 25 is a sectional view of the fines plug taken along line 25-25 inFIG. 21.

FIG. 26 is a sectional view of a handling plug.

FIG. 27 is a sectional view of a shroud with the handling plug of FIG.26.

FIG. 28 is a sectional view of a lifting eye with a wear monitoringdevice.

FIG. 29 is a sectional view of another lifting eye with a monitoringdevice.

FIG. 30 is a top view of a tip with the lifting eye of FIG. 28.

FIG. 31 is a top view of a tip and adapter with lifting eyes of FIG. 28attached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention pertains to products and monitoring systems formonitoring characteristics such as the part identification, presence,condition, usage and/or performance of ground-engaging products for useon earth working equipment. As examples, the system can be used tomonitor ground-engaging products secured to dozers, loaders, draglinemachines, cable shovels, face shovels, hydraulic excavators, dredgecutters, buckets, lips, blades, rippers, shear drums, continuous miners,etc. Examples of such ground-engaging products include buckets, lips,blades, points, adapters, intermediate adapters, shrouds, runners,picks, wear plate, truck trays, etc. The system can identify and/ormonitor characteristics including, e.g., the part ID, presence,condition, usage and/or performance of one or more of theground-engaging products on earth working equipment.

Relative terms such as front, rear, top, bottom and the like are usedfor convenience of discussion. The terms front or forward are generallyused to indicate the usual direction of travel of the ground engagingproduct relative to the earthen material during use (e.g., whiledigging), and upper or top are generally used as a reference to thesurface over which the material generally passes when, for example, itis gathered into the bucket. Nevertheless, it is recognized that in theoperation of various earth working equipment the ground engagingproducts may be oriented in various ways and move in all kinds ofdirections during use.

For ease of discussion, this application generally discusses monitoringa ground engaging product on a base secured to an excavating bucket, andin particular monitoring one kind of excavating tooth. However, theinvention could be used to identify or monitor other kinds of teeth,other kinds of ground-engaging products, and products on various typesof earth working equipment. As examples only, the monitoring system maymonitor a point on an adapter, a point on an intermediate adapter, anintermediate adapter on an adapter or integral cast nose, a shroud on alip or base, a lip on a bucket, a wear runner on a bucket, modular wearpads, a blade on a mold board, a bucket on a boom, teeth on a dredgecutter head, picks on a shearer drum, wear plate on a bucket, liners ona chute or truck tray, a truck tray on a haul truck, and the like. Theground-engaging products may be attached to various other groundengaging products, and may be attached using mechanical attachments,including locks and the like, or may be welded, adhered, or otherwisesecured in place.

As an example, a mining excavator 1 is equipped with a bucket 3 forgathering earthen material while digging (FIG. 1). The bucket 3 includesa frame or shell 4 defining a cavity 16 for gathering material duringthe digging operation (FIG. 2). Shell 4 includes a top wall 6 havingattachment supports 8 to attach the bucket 3 to excavator 1, a bottomwall 10 opposite the top wall 6, a rear wall 12, and a pair of opposingsidewalls 14. Multiple configurations of buckets are known andvariations in bucket geometry exist for excavating buckets and, ofcourse, other excavating machines. For example, the bucket may not havea top wall as in a dragline bucket, the bottom wall may be hinged as ina dipper bucket, or a portion of the side walls may be hinged as in ahydraulic face shovel. The specific geometry of the bucket is notintended to be limiting as the present system can be used with varioustypes of buckets and with various types of ground engaging products usedon the buckets or other earth working equipment.

In this embodiment, bucket 3 has a digging edge 5 (FIGS. 2-3, 5 and 7).The digging edge is that portion of the equipment that leads the contactwith the ground and in an excavator bucket is generally formed by a lip.Sidewalls 14 of a bucket 3 commonly also form a portion of the diggingedge and at times include wear parts. Teeth and/or shrouds are oftensecured to the digging edge to protect the edge and break up the groundahead of the bucket 3. Multiple tooth assemblies 7 and shrouds 9, suchas disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,222,243, which is incorporated byreference in its entirety, may be attached to lip 5 of bucket 3. Theillustrated tooth 7, provided only as an example, includes an adapter 11welded to lip 5, an intermediate adapter 13 mounted on adapter 11, and apoint (also called a tip) 15 mounted on intermediate adapter 13 (FIGS.1-5 and 7). Point 15 includes a rearward-opening cavity 18 in a mountingportion to receive nose 17, and a front end or bit portion 19 topenetrate the ground (FIG. 5). Locks (also called retainers) 21 are usedto secure point 15 to intermediate adapter 13, and intermediate adapter13 to a nose 23 of the adapter 11. In this embodiment, the locks 21 areall the same but they would not need to be. Other tooth arrangements arepossible (See, e.g., FIG. 6).

When a ground engaging product becomes unexpectedly separated from thebase or the ground engaging product reaches a minimum recommended wearcondition (e.g., the ground engaging product is considered fully worn),the ground engaging product is replaced so production does not decreaseand the base, upon which the ground engaging product is attached, doesnot experience unnecessary wear.

In one embodiment, a monitoring device 25 is provided to monitor aground-engaging product (in this case, tip 15 on intermediate adapter13) mounted on a bucket (FIGS. 2-5). A plurality of monitoring devices25 could be provided in a single product 15 to monitor the wear (orother characteristic) on different surfaces or at different portions ofthe same surface, or to monitor different characteristics of the use(e.g., wear, impact, strain, etc.). Additionally, a plurality ofmonitoring devices 25 could be provided to monitor multiple groundengaging products (points, intermediate adapters, etc.) connected to thebucket.

Monitoring device 25 may generally include: one or more electronicdevices or sensors 35 for identifying characteristics such as part ID,presence, condition, usage and/or performance of the ground engagingproduct; a communication device 36 (e.g., a transmitter and/or receiver)for communicating information to and/or from the monitoring device to orfrom a remote device 38 (discussed below); and a battery 37. These canbe different components working together or they may be combined (e.g.,with the sensor 35 and transmission device 36 being the same component).Monitoring devices 25 also could have other constructions. For example,monitoring devices can include multiple sensors for redundancy orsensing other characteristics (e.g., high impact events, digging cycles,etc.), a receiver for receiving information from a remote device,storage mediums for holding data (e.g., the part ID), a GPS device,and/or a microprocessor for processing data or other information. Amonitoring device 25 may also be a passive system without a transmitteror battery.

Monitoring devices 25 may communicate with a remote device 38, whichsimply means a device remote from the monitoring device 25. The remotedevice 38 can be secured to a different portion of the ground engagingproduct being monitored. For example, when the ground engaging productis a bucket 3, the monitoring device 25 could be in a ground-engagingportion of a sidewall 14 and the remote device 38 could be on the topwall 6 of the bucket 3. The remote device 38 could be indirectlyconnected to the monitored ground engaging product. For example, themonitoring device 25 could be retained in a tip 15 and the remote device38 could be on the bucket 3 (FIGS. 8-9), on the boom 2, on the stick 20,or in the cab 24 of the digging machine 1. The remote device 38 couldalso be separately supported such as on a service truck (FIG. 19),drone, handheld device 39 (FIG. 11), station, etc. (FIGS. 10-11). Asingle remote device 38 may be used or a collection of remote devices 38working together or separately may be used. As examples, a remote devicemay include a processer (PC, microprocessor, etc.), a database, atransmitter, a receiver, etc. The remote device 38 may communicate withadditional sensors on the ground engaging product, other ground engagingproducts, multiple ground engaging products, earth working equipment 1and/or with a database or computer. The remote device 38, for example,may be a wireless device or a wired device.

The monitoring device 25 and the remote device 38 can be designed tocommunicate with each other in different ways and no one particular wayis needed. For example, the monitoring device 25 could be designed toonly transmit information and the remote device 38 designed to onlyreceive information from the monitoring device 25. In other examples,the monitoring device 25 and the remote device 38 could be designed tocommunicate back and forth with each other. The communication may usevarious communication protocols, for example, without limitation,continuous, event driven, on demand, batch communication. Irrespectiveof the manner or timing of the communication, the information can bereceived and processed historically or as a real-time assessment. Forexample, if the signal is only available during a portion of the diggingcycle, the remote device can still receive batch information of all thecharacteristics detected when the signal could not be accessed.

The remote device 38 and the monitoring device 25 may on their own,collectively, and/or with other devices, and/or software applications,and the like (e.g., data from a database 194 in, for example, a clouddatabase, other processors, etc.) store, process and/or communicateinformation related to characteristics such as part ID, usage,condition, performance and/or presence of the ground engaging product onearth working equipment (FIG. 12). Information related to the part ID ofground engaging product can include such things as ground engagingproduct type, product number, customer number, brand name, trademark,manufacturer, bill of materials, etc. Information related to usage ofthe ground engaging product can include such things as the kind ofmachine using the ground engaging product, time the ground engagingproduct went into service, how many digging cycles the ground engagingproduct has experienced, average time of the digging cycle, location ofthe ground engaging product on the machine, impact events, etc. The partID may be used as search criteria in order to retrieve additionalinformation regarding the specific ground engaging product. The searchcriteria may be used to query one or more relational databases and/orbroader data structures. Information related to condition of the groundengaging product can include such things as wear, strain in the groundengaging product, etc. Information related to performance can includesuch things as the rate of digging, force needed to penetrate theground, tons moved per each increment of wear, etc. Thesecharacteristics could also be used in connection with informationregarding the mine geology, material fragmentation and/or otherinformation for, e.g., determining timetables for excavating material,replacement schedules for ground engaging products, etc. Devices 25 canalso be used to detect ground engaging product loss (i.e., presence ofthe ground engaging product). These monitored characteristics are givenas examples only and are not intended to be limiting. Information may beshared with, i.e. sent to and received from, various other machinesincluding programmable logic, other networks, and used with varioussoftware applications, and routines.

In one embodiment, the ground-engaging product 15 includes an externalsurface 40 having a top surface 42, a bottom surface 44 and sidesurfaces 46 (FIGS. 5-7). A cavity 18 is formed to open in the rear endof the product 15 to receive the base 13 for mounting the product on theequipment. A lock opening 48 is formed in the product to receive a lock21 that holds the product to the base 13 (FIG. 5). In one embodiment, arecess 50 is defined in the external surface 40 of the product forreceiving a monitoring device 25 (FIG. 5A). In the illustratedembodiment, a monitoring device is provided in a recess 50C in themounting portion of tip 15, and in a recess 50D in a working portion orbit portion of tip 15. Product 15 may include only one or more than tworecesses and monitoring devices. As discussed further below, in otherembodiments, a recess 50 may also, or instead, be defined in a componentof the assembly that may be located proximate the external surface 40.Components with a monitoring device 25 may include, but may not belimited to, locks 21, lifting eyes 22, and/or plugs 75. The component(s)may in turn be located in an appropriate recess or socket of theassembly. In any of the embodiments, the monitoring device 25 ispreferably positioned proximate the external surface 40 and outward ofthe mounting cavity 18 to lessen the signal blocking effects of theheavy steel walls of the ground engaging product (though the monitoringdevice can be differently positioned relative to the ground engagingproduct). In the illustrated embodiment, monitoring devices 25 inrecesses 50C, 50D are both outward of the mounting cavity 18. Thisarrangement enables the signal transmitted to or by monitoring device 25to be more easily and reliably received by remote device 38 ormonitoring device 25 to provide a more reliably received signal for thesystem as compared to installing monitoring device 25 on the inside ofthe part, e.g., within the mounting cavity 18 of the product as has beendone in prior systems. This same benefit would exist for a monitoringdevice receiving signals from the remote device or other monitoringdevices. The monitoring device 25 can generally survive the rigorsassociated with an earth working operation in a more shallow recess anddoes not need to be placed in an innermost portion of the groundengaging product. Past systems have generally suffered from reliabilityin detecting loss and wear of ground engaging products resulting infalse alarms and undetected loss or wear. Reliability can be improved bymoving the monitoring device 25 or at least the communication device(e.g., a transmitter and/or receiver) of the monitoring device 25 closerto the external surface of the ground engaging product (i.e., outside ofthe inner surface). While the recess 50 can be a blind hole, it need notbe. Generally, at least the communication device 36 (e.g., atransmitter) of the monitoring device is located just far enough intothe ground engaging product to avoid being worn away during the expecteduseful life of the ground engaging product. Depending on the sensor 35,the sensor portion of the monitoring device can lie below the maximumwear point or can extend into the wearable portion and be worn awayduring use. Alternatively, the monitoring device 25 can be positionedentirely within the wearable portion if it is intended to only providemonitoring for a portion of the useful life of the ground engagingproduct.

U.S. Patent Application 2014/0311762 discloses a sensor within themounting cavity of the wear part to measure the level of wear in thepart. Fitting the sensor at the inner end of the cavity protects thesensor from wear and damage. However, the signal is at risk of beinglost and not successfully transmitted to the processor on account ofblockage by the heavy steel of the ground engaging product, the groundthe ground engaging product engages, and/or the bulk, electronics,hydraulics, etc. of the earth working equipment. Similarly, PCTApplication WO 2012/0122587 discloses a system for monitoring wear in aliner or other ground engaging product by installing a sensor throughthe thickness of the part and connecting the remote end of the sensor toa processor for determining the level of wear. The remote end canconnect to the processor via a cable or a wireless connection. However,the use of a cable to hard wire the sensor to the processor is notfeasible in many earth working operations, and similar wirelesscommunication difficulties exist by locating the transmitter on theinside of the wear part.

In one embodiment, the sensor 35 is a wearable resistor ladder 52positioned in a recess 50 defined in a bottom surface 44 of tip 15(FIGS. 5A and 14A). As the surface 40A wears resistors 52A aredisconnected. Resistors 52B below an unworn surface 40B remain in thecircuit 53. As the resistor ladder 52 wears, the resistance changesproviding an indication of the amount or degree of wear that the groundengaging product has experienced. A transmitter 36 and a battery 37 areprovided at, or near, the base 54 of the recess 50 to send a signal tothe remote device 38. A processing, and/or memory device may beincluded. A micro-control unit (MCU) 199 is illustrated in this exampleembodiment. The MCU may optionally include a processor and a storagedevice to process and store data from the sensor, and/or other datadevices in the system in accordance with the disclosure. The MCU mayoptionally include an onboard antenna. The monitoring device 25 mayprovide collected data using various mechanism, and may be, for example,an active responder, or a passive responder. The monitoring device 25may be a near field communicator (NFC). Other variations are possible.For example, a circuit board with a series of wired loops could be used.As another example, a pair of elongate capacitor plates 56 could extendalong the sides of the recess and wear away as the ground engagingproduct wears (FIG. 15). A metering device 55 may measure thecapacitance, resistance or other value. A cylindrical capacitor havingconcentric plates may also, or instead, be used. A plurality of discretecapacitors or other devices may also, or instead, be used. Other kindsof sensors (e.g., ultrasonic) could be used to measure the degree ofwear or other desired characteristic of the ground engaging product orits use. Monitoring device 25 could also be a passive system that isdetected by signals transmitted by the remote device.

Recess 50 may be filled in with a filler or body 31 in the form ofresin, polymer or other suitable material once the monitoring device 25has been installed within the recess. The filler 31 may be a dielectricmaterial. The monitoring device 25 may be secured by means other thanthe body (e.g., an adhesive, mechanical means, etc.) or secured in therecess by body 31. In one embodiment, body 31 is a polymer selected froma group consisting of elastomers, thermoplastics, and thermosets. Inalternative embodiments, the recess 50 may be filled in with a materialother than polymers or may not be filled in. Securing the devices 25 ina polymer and/or filling the recess 50 with a polymer may furtherprotect the device 25 from fines, vibration and impact as the groundengaging product engages the material to be excavated and/or secure themonitoring device in the recess.

The monitoring device 25 sends, e.g., a continual, intermittent, batch,or event driven signal concerning, e.g., the characteristic of theground-engaging product 15. In the illustrated example, the signal isreceived by a receiver 60, which in this example includes an antenna ofthe remote device 38 mounted on the boom 2 of the excavator 1 (FIG. 12).An antenna 60 can be provided in other positions and mounted ondifferent supports (e.g., on the bucket 3, in the cab 24, etc.) in lieuof or in addition to the antenna on the boom. An antenna 60 on the boom2 is provided in this embodiment to improve the reliability of receivingthe signal from monitoring device 38. The antenna 60 on the cab 24 inthis embodiment is shown wired 197 to a processor 198 in the cab 24 butcould have a different connection. For example, an antenna or otherreceiver could be mounted in the cab, on a truck, on a handheld device39, etc. The antenna 60 could be coupled to a wireless transmitter suchthat the information received from the monitoring device 25 and sent tothe remote device 38 in the cab, may be provided to and/or combined withdata from a handheld device 39, cloud database 194, other data sources,etc. to provide helpful information and analysis. Multiple antennasand/or remote devices 38 could be used to increase the reliability ofpicking up the signal if desired or needed for the particular operation.For example, a remote device may also be located on the stick 20. Theprocessor 198, or other elements of the system, may be operativelycoupled with an Engine Control Unit ECU 200. The ECU 200 may provide orreceive information from the processor 198 and/or directly from thesensor(s) 35. The ECU 200 may provide data pertaining to, but notlimited to, engine torque, fuel consumption, atmospheric temperature,engine temperature and the like. The ECU data may be coupled with sensordata, and/or data from other sources, and processed by the processor toprovide various outputs.

This embodiment provides a relatively unobstructed signal path 62 forthe monitoring device 25 to provide information to remote device 38,i.e., by way of the antenna 60 of remote device 38. Nevertheless, othervariations are possible that have more obstructions, limited timeperiods where signals can be received, etc. In cases where signals canonly be received at certain times, monitoring device 25 and/or remotedevice 38 may transmit only during certain times (e.g., when the bucketis oriented in a particular way, when a trigger signal is received,etc.) or may continue to transmit continually. Further, multiple remotedevices and/or antennas could be used to receive information from themonitoring device continually or during longer periods even if thesignal can only be accessed by the antenna on the boom 2 during certainintervals. A remote device may receive a signal from a monitoring deviceand relay the signal to a second or third remote device. Any number ofremote devices may be used to relay the signals as needed. The movementof the digging machine 1, including the individual articulatedcomponents thereof, and/or other vehicles at the worksite may tend toestablish and reestablish the interrelationships of the sensors andcommunication devices. In this way, various and numerous communicationpaths may be established despite the great number of potentiallyshielding surfaces at the worksite.

In one other embodiment, a monitoring device 25 is located in a recessin a bottom surface 44 of a tip 15 for a bucket 3 on earth workingequipment such as a wheel loader. A remote device 38 may be located on,for example, a standalone stanchion 64A (FIG. 13A) or an edge of acrusher hopper 64B (FIG. 13B) (or other receptacle) to pick up a signalfrom the monitoring device. FIG. 13B shows the bucket 3 having justdumped a load of material into the hopper 64B. In doing so, the product15 with a monitoring device 25 passes over remote device 38 in thehopper 64B in wireless communication with the remote device. The remotedevice 38 on the stanchion 64A or the hopper 64B, or the like can be inaddition to, or in lieu of, one or more remote devices located on theearth working equipment, service truck, etc. Remote devices 38 can be inother locations as well. For example, a remote device(s) could be on astanchion, or threshold device, through which haul trucks pass to detectwhen a separated ground engaging product is within the bed of materialcarried in the truck tray. As another example, a remote device could beprovided on a truck tray to monitor when the bucket dumps a load intothe truck tray (like as disclosed for hopper 64B). The device 25 mayalso provide data that is subject to real-time processing to assist,e.g., in efficient loading of a truck tray. For example, the system mayprovide information to the operator on the load to gather (e.g., half abucket) to completely fill the awaiting haul truck. The device 25 canwork in harmony with additional devices configured in accordance withthe disclosure, and/or with other machine based sensors including, butnot limited to, inclinometers, hydraulic pressure sensors, etc.

In this way various characteristics (e.g., wear) can be monitored in aplurality of ways to improve reliability, though multiple remote devicesis not necessary. Providing truck tray 64 with a remote device 38 mayalso permit other characteristics to be monitored such as time betweendumping cycles, number of dumps per truck load, height of bucket abovethe truck tray edge, etc. Other sensors located, e.g., on the topsurface 42 (or other component or the lip) can measure othercharacteristics such as time to dump the load, the speed at which thematerial dumps from the bucket, etc. The signals from these sensors maybe picked up by a remote device on the machine, on the truck tray orelsewhere.

Various embodiments may locate one or more remote devices 38 atpredetermined points on the digging machine 1 and/or other vehicles andpieces of equipment. Various embodiments may provide mobile and handhelddevices with remote devices. Embodiments may provide electroniccanvassing of the sensors and/or communication devices to inventory thedata collected. The data may be combined with previously known dataand/or data collected from other locations. One or more programmablelogic devices may be utilized to manipulate the data into variousmachine usable and human usable formats.

Recesses 50 and monitoring devices 25 can similarly be provided in otherkinds of ground-engaging ground engaging products such as the lip 5(FIG. 7A). The monitoring device in the lip can, e.g., identify wear(e.g., with an ultrasonic sensor), impact events, digging cycles, etc.Other similar ground-engaging implements such as blades, bucketsidewalls, etc. could also be provided with similar recesses andmonitoring devices.

FIGS. 5B and 6 shows a monitoring device 25 including a sensor 35 in arecess or cavity 220 located at a top rear corner of tooth 15 a. Themonitoring device 25 may be positioned in a bore 220 defined along therear wall 222 of the tooth (FIG. 14B). In this example, hole 220 has anopen channel 228 in rear wall 224 and opens in the top surface 224 ofthe mounting cavity. The channel 228 being open on one side provides arelatively unobstructed signal path for signals sent to or by monitoringdevice and/or antenna 36. In this embodiment, hole is closed along itstop end, but could be open. The hole is preferably filled with a resinor other material as the body 31. The monitoring device 25 may include asensor such as a resistor ladder 52 or multi-loop circuit. Themonitoring device 25 may be positioned in hole 220 formed into the tooth15 a such as in a casting operation. The hole or hollow may also beformed in other ways, such as by machining. The hollow may extend fromthe top surface to the cavity 18 but need not. In other cases, themonitoring device may be form fitted over a portion of the tooth orother ground engaging product.

In another embodiment, FIG. 7B illustrates a monitoring device includingan extended portion 244 located in a hole 246 configured to wear as thetooth 15 wears. The monitoring device 25 can be secured in recess 242 invarious ways including, e.g., a mechanical attachment, welding, resin,etc. As examples, the monitoring device can include a sensor fordetecting data regarding a characteristic, a transmitter and/orreceiver, a battery, a microprocessor, a storage device and/or a GPSdevice. A hole may optionally be drilled or otherwise formed forward ofrecess 242 to receive a sensor (e.g., a resistor ladder) to monitor wearof the point. In this example, the hole extends at least forward of thefully worn condition, though other lengths could be used. The hole canextend toward the front end of the point or be at an angle upward towardthe exterior wear surface.

In one other embodiment, monitoring device 25 is provided in a lock 21,such as a lock disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,222,243. The monitoringdevice 25 can be provided in only the lock or in the lock and one ormore recess in the wearable surface 40 of the product 15. In anotherexample, a monitoring device 25 could be secured in each of a pair oflocks securing a product such as intermediate adapter 13 in place (FIGS.16-18).

Returning briefly to FIG. 5, locks 21 are shown in a partially assembledconfiguration wherein, for each lock 21, a pin 150 is threaded into acollar 122. The collar 122 can be inserted into through-hole 48 in thetip 15 and a pin 150 threaded into the collar to extend into a matinghole 49 in the nose 17 to secure the tip 15 onto the nose 17. The pin150 could be secured without a collar. Referring now to FIGS. 16-18, thepin 150 includes a head 152 and a threaded shank 154. A recess 50 opensin an outside face 158 of the head 152. The recess 50 includes a mainportion 160 and a side portion 162, though other arrangements arepossible. The main portion 160 is shaped and adapted to receive a tool(not shown) for turning the pin 150 for installation and removal of theproduct.

A monitoring device 25 is located within the side portion 162. In oneexample, device 25 includes a sensor 35 mounted on a substrate 34 suchas a printed circuit board. A transmitter 36 and a battery 37 are alsomounted on the substrate 34. Other components may be mounted, or coupledwith the substrate, such as a logic device. The substrate 34, sensor 35,transmitter 36 and the battery 37 are preferably embedded in a body 31,which in this embodiment is a resin though other arrangements arepossible. Another embodiment, not shown may include, a battery 37provided at or near the inner end or bottom of the recess 50, e.g.,beyond the depth needed for electronic device 35 and transmitter 36. Inone example, the battery is a ½ AA battery but other kinds of batteriesor energy sources can be used. An electronic device 35 is provided inthe side portion 162 of the recess. In this embodiment, the chip is thesensor and the transmitter, and the transmitter is, e.g., a radiocommunication device. In this case also the battery and the chip arepreferably embedded in a body 31, which may be a resin. The resin fixesthe battery and chip in the recess, protects the components of themonitoring device from earthen material and vibration, and overlies thebattery to shield the battery from insertion of a tool to adjust thelock between hold and release positions. The battery and the chip couldbe provided in separate recesses. The recess or multiple recesses couldbe unique for the monitoring device and not have a dual purpose such asreceiving a tool. One or more chips or other electronic devices could beprovided in the recess. A wire or other arrangement extend through thebody to electronically connect the chip to the battery. Otherarrangements are possible. The one or more electronic device 35 isprovided to monitor characteristics such as part ID, presence,condition, usage and/or performance of the ground engaging product towhich it is attached.

Locks 21 are generally positioned along the exterior of a product to beaccessible by an operator for movement between its hold and releasepositions, which may be different positions while secured to theproduct, or may be inserted and removed positions. By providing themonitoring device 25 in (or on) the lock 21, rather than within themounting cavity of the product, signal blockage caused by the steel (orother material) of the ground engaging product is reduced. A stronger,more reliable signal(s) from the monitoring device(s) reduces the riskof losing the signal(s) or receiving false reads, and provides moreflexibility in the positioning of the remote device. Nevertheless,monitoring devices 25 secured to locks could be positioned within themounting cavity 18 when monitoring conditions, e.g., of cavity wear orrelative movement between the product and the base.

In another embodiment, a monitoring device 25 is secured to a lock 21with or in the form of a plug 75 (FIGS. 5, 21-25). In this example, plug75 is received into recess 50 to resist entry of earthen fines into therecess 50 in lock 21 during use of the earth working equipment. Inanother example, the plug can cover the entire opening receiving thelock to provide protection against the entry of fines in the opening. Aplug with a monitoring device can be in lieu of or in addition to themonitoring device in side portion 162 of the recess in the pin. Plug 75can be removed when a tool (e.g., for removal of the product 15) needsto be inserted into recess 50. In this embodiment, at least onemonitoring device 25 is secured to, or within, a plug body 76. In theillustrated embodiment, the plug member 75 is the body for themonitoring device 25. In other embodiments, monitoring device 25 may,e.g., be encased in a body that is then secured to the plug body 76. Aplug 75 of this kind could also be secured into a recess 50 defineddirectly into an external surface 40 of product 15.

The monitoring device(s) 25 or sensor(s) 35 are preferably embedded inthe body 76 but could be secured in other ways. In one embodiment, onlyone device 35 is embedded within body 76 (FIG. 22). In an alternativeembodiment, more than one device 25 is embedded within the body. Eachdevice 25 may be embedded in a bottom end 63 of body 76 to minimize theimpact on performance and from the environment in which the device 25 isused.

Body 76 is a removable member that may be inserted and removed fromrecesses within the product 7, though it could be fixed if received in arecess that did not receive a tool. Securing the device 25 to a body 76that is removable allows the device 25 to be temporarily installed in aproduct 15 or lock 21 (e.g., the device 25 may be used with multipleproducts 15 during the life of the device 25). Body 76 is preferablymade of a polymer though other materials can be used. In one preferredembodiment, the polymer is selected from a group consisting ofelastomers, thermoplastics, and thermosets. In one embodiment, the body76 is an elastomer. The elastomeric body may also be one part of a plugthat may consist of parts composed of other materials.

In the illustrated embodiments, the plug 75 has a top end 61 and abottom end 63 (FIGS. 22-25). Bottom end 63 is preferably shaped togenerally match the shape of recess 50A. This minimizes that amount offines that may be introduced into the recess when the product 15 isused. It should be appreciated that recess 50 may have a variety ofshapes and bottom end 63 may have a variety of shapes to generallycorrespond to the shapes of the recesses. In alternative embodiments,the body 76 may have a shape that is varied from the shape of the recessin which it is received. Inserting plug 75 into a recess of the lockworks to mitigate the collection of fines in the lock opening for easierrelease of the lock in addition to the plug also functioning as amonitoring device. Plug 75 could be inserted into other recesses havingother specific purposes, or provided for the sole purpose of receivingplug 75 in the lock or product.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom end 63 has one or moreretainers 69 to hold the body 76 within the recess 50. In FIGS. 22-25,the retainers 69 are shown as ribs that generally extend around thesides of the outer edges of the bottom end 63. The body 76 is securedwithin the recess 50 via an interference fit so that the ribs ofretainers 69 contact the sides of the recess to secure the body 76within the recess 50. Other retainers are possible and the ribs are onlyone example of a retainer that may be used to secure the body within therecess. Other ways of securing the body within the recess 50 arepossible. For example, the retainer 69 may be a series of helical ridgesthat correspond to grooves in the recess. The body 76 may be rotated sothat the retainer 69 engages the corresponding grooves in the recess.Alternatively, as an example, one or more latches could be used tosecure the plug 75 in place. Further, retainers could be formed in therecess instead of or in addition to retainers on the plug 75.

Bottom end 63 preferably has a removal feature 71 to remove the plug 75from the recess 50. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 21-22, aremoval tool engages removal feature 71 to pry the body 76 out of therecess. The removal tool, for example, may be a pry bar or another toolcapable of prying the body out of the recess. Other removal features arepossible and the body may be rotated, pivoted or otherwise removed fromthe recess in which it is received. In alternative embodiments, the bodymay be removed with a removal feature located outside of the bottom end.In this embodiment the removal feature 71 is configured as a cavityhaving a bottom portion sized and located to receive and house themonitoring device 25, including a sensor, and other components. Thedevice 25 and other components may be embedded in body 31, for example aresin.

In the illustrated embodiments, the top end 61 is shown as being widerthan the bottom end 63 and defining a cap or top flange. A top end 61that is wider than the bottom end 63 may minimize fines collectingbetween the body and the recess. In alterative embodiments, the top endmay have a width that generally matches the width of the bottom end ormay have a width that is smaller than the bottom end. Top end 61 isgenerally planar and has a generally circular shape; other shapes arepossible.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 21, 21, and 25, top end 61 has aremoval feature 65 that may be used by an operator to pull or pry thebody 31A out of the recess. The operator may manually grab the removalfeature 65 with one or both hands or may use a tool to engage theremoval feature 65. In the illustrated embodiment, the removal feature65 is shown as a tab that is flush with the top surface 61 of the body,though other configurations are possible. The removal feature 65 may beengaged and moved in an outward direction away from the recess so thatthe removal feature 65 is above the top surface 61 of the body. Theremoval feature 65 may be used to initially effect movement of the bodyout of the recess, and removal feature 71 may be used to completelyremove the body 76 from the recess. In alternative embodiments, theremoval feature 65 may be used to completely remove the body from therecess. In alterative embodiments, the top end 61 may not have a removalfeature 65 or an alternative removal feature may be used to remove thebody from the recess 50. For example, the top end 61 may have a removalfeature (not shown) in the form of a recess or protrusion that isdesigned to be engaged with a tool. The tool may engage the removalfeature to rotate the body out of the recess 50.

As noted above, the recess for receiving plug 75 (i.e., the monitoringdevice) may be a recess 50 in a product 15, a recess 162 in a lock 21, aportion of a recess 71 in a plug 75, or a recess 51 in the base 13 (FIG.5). The recesses may be pre-established for other reasons and not bespecifically designed for receiving the monitoring device. For example,the recess may be a recess in a lock that is designed to receive aremoval tool to adjust the lock during installation and removal of theproduct 15. When the product is not being removed or installed, therecess may be used to receive the monitoring device in the form of plug75. When the lock 21 needs to be adjusted, the plug 75 may be removedfrom the recess 50.

In alternative embodiments, the recess may be a recess 50 specificallydesigned for receiving a plug having the configuration of plug 75 (FIG.7A) or another configuration. The recess may have a variety of shapes.Preferably, the recess has a shape that generally corresponds to body ofthe plug, although other configurations are possible. The recess 50 ispreferably located in or adjacent an exterior surface 40 of the groundengaging product in which it is received so that signal blockage due tothe metal of the ground engaging product is reduced. In someembodiments, the recess specifically designed for receiving the plug maybe located, e.g., in a lock, a point, an intermediate adapter, anadapter, a nose of a cast lip, a shroud, a lip, a blade, a wear runner,a truck liner, bucket or other ground engaging product of other kinds ofearth working equipment. In addition, the recesses can be located wherethe body will experience minimal wear. In alternative embodiments, thebody may be placed in a location that is known to experience wear sothat the monitoring device experiences wear and the monitoring devicemay detect the wear of the product 15.

In another embodiment, as a second lock-style example, monitoring device25 is retained in a lock 21A such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.7,536,811, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.Lock 21A includes a pair of lock bodies 102 pivotally joined together(FIGS. 19-20). Briefly, the lock bodies 102 pivot such that their outerends 104 move toward each other so the lock can be inserted into theinlet of an opening in a product such as a shroud 9. The lock expands toa linear position when in the opening so the lock is longer than theinlet of the opening. A tapered, threaded retainer 106 is installed atthe seam between the bodies 102 to prevent relative movement of thebodies 102 when the lock is inserted in the opening to prevent removalof the lock from the opening of the product. At least one of the lockbodies 102 includes a recess 50A. In one embodiment, monitoring device25 includes an electronic device, such as sensor 35, and a battery 37 inthe recess 50B. A body 31 encapsulates a chip (acting as the sensor andthe transmitter) and battery to protect them. Body 31 can be a resin orother material. The monitoring device 25 could be secured and/orprotected in the recess 50A in other ways. In one embodiment themonitoring device 25 is disposed in the threaded retainer 106.

In a digging operation, the ground engaging product experiences loadingand impact from various directions, and in a wide range of severity andduration. The lock securing the product is affected by the various loadsthrough stresses, movement, vibration, jostling, etc. that can bedetected and monitored by the monitoring device. Through this process,the monitoring device and/or remote device can determine, e.g., thecondition of the ground engaging product when the gathered informationis processed by programmable logic, e.g., in consideration of the typeof ground engaging product, the kind of earthen material (e.g.,abrasiveness, hardness, etc.), the earth working machine etc. todetermine the anticipated useful life of the ground engaging product(and/or base). When coupled with information concerning operation of themachine, and/or worksite, an anticipated replacement date can bedetermined to permit efficient planning for ground engaging productreplacement. The monitoring device can, for example, be used to detectthe number of passes of the bucket through earthen material. Themonitoring device can also be used to detect the loads, stresses,duration of loading, etc. in the ground-engaging product to determine,for example, penetrability and digging rate. The monitoring device canalso be used to determine the presence or absence of a product on theearth working equipment.

The monitoring device 25 can also be provided outside the primarywearable exterior surface 40 of the ground engaging product. In oneembodiment, a monitoring device can be in the form of a lifting eye 22(FIGS. 5-6, 28-31). Due to the size and weight, the larger groundengaging products may have a lifting eye 22 to connect the groundengaging product to a lifting device in order to maneuver the groundengaging product from one place to another. These lifting eyes 22 may bean integral part of the ground engaging product formed during themanufacturing of the ground engaging product (FIG. 5) or may bemechanically separable from the ground engaging products, as disclosedin US Patent Publication 2015/0013134, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. FIGS. 26 and 27 are cross-section viewsshowing a handling plug 250 fitted into a collar 252 fastened into ahole in a shroud 9. A lifting eye (discussed below) may be removed fromthe collar 252 after it is no longer needed to lift the shroud 9,whereupon the handling plug 250 may be installed. The handling plug 250may include a sensor 35 in accordance with the disclosure.

In the illustrated embodiment, the monitoring device 25 includes alifting eye 22 in which is secured a monitoring device 25 including aplurality of devices or sensors 35 (FIGS. 28-29). The devices or sensors35 are embedded in the mounting portion of the lifting eye 22 but couldbe secured in other ways and to other portions of the lifting eyedevice. In one embodiment, only one device 35 is embedded within liftingeye 22. The electronic device 35 is, in this example, embedded in amounting end 163 of a mechanically separable lifting eye 22 to minimizethe effects of the environment in which the device 25 is used. Inalternative embodiments, the device may be secured to a lifting eye thatis cast or otherwise manufactured as part of the ground engaging productand/or may be secured to the working end 161 of the lifting eye 22 thatis used for maneuvering the ground engaging product. The lifting eye 22can form the body 31 for monitoring device 25, or the monitoring device25 can be encapsulated in a body that is, in turn, secured in thelifting eye 22.

Lifting eye 22 is similar to the lifting eyes disclosed in US PatentPublication 2015/0013134. Other shapes are possible. In this embodiment,the lifting eye 22 is removable such that the lifting eye may beinserted and removed from holes within the product 7. The lifting eye 22is mechanically secured and mechanically separable from the groundengaging product. Securing device 25 to a lifting eye 22 that isremovable allows the monitoring device 25 to be temporarily installed ina replaceable product 15. In addition, the lifting eye 22 can be usedwith a variety of different types of ground engaging products withminimal modification to existing ground engaging products (e.g., theground engaging products can be manufactured or retrofitted with anadditional recess or hole to receive the lifting eye or may utilize anexisting recess or hole to receive the lifting eye). In alternativeembodiments, the device 25 and/or lifting eye 22 may be permanentlysecured to the ground engaging product and may not be removable.

In one example, the lifting eye 22 of device 25 is secured within arecess or hole 133 in the ground-engaging product 15 (as discussedbelow). In the illustrated embodiments, the lifting eye 22 has a workingend 161 for engaging lifting devices and a mounting end 163 to securethe lifting eye to the product (FIGS. 28-31). As disclosed in US PatentPublication 2015/0013134, a collar (not shown) may be provided with anopening to receive the mounting end 163 of the lifting eye. The collarmay be a part of the lifting eye 22 or may be a part of the product 15.In alternative embodiments, the collar may be omitted and the liftingeye 22 may directly engage other features of the product 15 to securethe lifting eye 22 to the product 15.

Mounting end 163 is preferably shaped to generally match the shape ofhole 133 or the opening within collar. This minimizes the amount offines that may be introduced into hole 133 or opening when the product15 engages the ground to be excavated. It should be appreciated thathole 133 and/or opening may have a variety of shapes and mounting end163 may have a variety of shapes to generally correspond to the shapesof the hole 133 or opening. In alternative embodiments, the lifting eye22 may have a shape that is varied from the shape of the hole or openingin which it is received.

Inserting sensors 35 into a recess 171 of the lifting eye permits thedevice 25 to function as a tool for maneuvering the product in additionto its monitoring functions. Nevertheless, sensors 35 could be insertedinto other recesses, holes, or openings having other specific purposesor provided for the sole purpose of receiving monitoring device 25 inthe ground engaging product.

The mounting end 163 preferably has one or more retainers 169 to holdthe lifting eye 22 within the hole 133 or 166. In the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 28-29, the retainers 169 are shown as helicalridges 175 in the form of threads. As described in US Patent Publication2015/0013134, the threads generally extend around the sides of the outeredges of the mounting end 163. The lifting eye 22 is preferably securedwithin the hole 133 or opening with the threads 175. Other securementmechanisms and retainers are possible and the helical ridges are onlyone example of a retainer that may be used to secure the lifting eye 22within the hole 133 or opening 166. Other ways of securing the liftingeye 22 within the hole 133 or opening 166 are possible. For example, oneor more latches could be used to secure the lifting eye in place.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lifting eye is further provided witha retainer 169 in the form of a latching detent 177. The latching detent177, preferably, enables lifting eye 22 to stop at a fixed position witha predetermined orientation relative to collar or hole 133. Further, thelatching detent 177 maintains the lifting eye 22 in a preferredorientation so that if the ground engaging product spins while securedto the lifting device the latching detent 177 of lifting eye 22 ensuresthat the ground engaging product does not rotate relative to the liftingeye or otherwise become separated from the lifting eye 22 (i.e., thelatching detent 177 prevents the lifting eye 22 from rotating furtherinto or out of the collar as the ground engaging product is lifted withthe lifting device). Latching detent 177, preferably, keeps lifting eye22 outside of hole 133 or opening with sufficient clearance, so that theground engaging product can be removed (and installed). Other kinds oflatching formations could be used that latch in other ways such as toengage the inner wall of the product cavity or the lifting eye may notbe provided with a latching formation.

Mounting end 163 preferably has a recess 171 for receiving monitoringdevice 25. Recess 171 preferably extends from an exterior surface 179 ofthe mounting end 163 that is adjacent the working end 161 to a depthshort of an opposing exterior surface 181. In alternative embodimentsnot shown, the recess may, for example, extend from an exterior surfacein the mounting end that is opposite the working end to a depth short ofan exterior surface adjacent the working end or the recess may extendthrough the entire mounting end of the lifting eye. The recess 171 mayhave a width that is the same through its length or may have a widththat is varied as it extends into the mounting end 163 of the liftingeye 22.

One or more devices 25 may be secured within recess 171 of lifting eye22. There are multiple ways to secure the devices 25 within recess 171.For example, the devices 25 may be mechanically secured within recess171 or an adhesive may be used to secure the device within the recess171. In alternative embodiments, the devices 25 may be secured to, orembedded in, a polymer that is secured within the recess 171.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 29, an antenna 183 extends fromthe device 35 to an exterior surface 179 of the mounting end 163 that isadjacent the working end 161 of the lifting eye 22. In alternativeembodiments, the antenna may extend to a point shy of the exteriorsurface 179. With this arrangement there is minimal signal blockage fromthe metal of the ground engaging product. The antenna 183 is preferablywearable to function as a wear monitoring device. As the ground engagingproduct engages the ground the lifting eye 22 wears and the antenna 183wears to provide an indication of the wear that the ground engagingproduct has experienced. In an alternative embodiment illustrated inFIG. 28, the electrical devices 35 are in the form of a wearableresistor ladder 52A. As the resistor ladder 52A wears, the resistancechanges providing an indication of the degree of wear that the groundengaging product has experienced. In alternative embodiments, thedevices may be free of an antenna or may have an antenna that does notextend generally in the direction of the exterior surface.

Recess 171 may be filled in with a polymer once the monitoring device(s)25 has been secured within the recess 171. In one embodiment, thepolymer is selected from a group consisting of elastomers,thermoplastics, and thermosets. In alternative embodiments, the recess171 may be filled in with a material other than polymers or may not befilled in. Securing the devices 25 to a polymer and/or filling therecess 171 with a polymer may further protect the devices 35 from finesas the ground engaging product engages the material to be excavated.

In the illustrated embodiments, the working end 161 is shown as being aload bearing ring. Other types of working ends are possible. Forexample, the ring could be replaced with other rigging engaging elementssuch as a plate with a hole, a c-shaped loop with a spring loaded gate,a threaded socket, or an adapter that can be gripped by or otherwisesecured to the lifting device. In this application, lifting devices withany of these arrangements are referred to as a lifting eye even if theworking end does not include a traditional “eye.”

The hole for receiving lifting eye 22 may be pre-established for otherreasons and not be specifically designed for receiving the lifting eye22. For example, the hole may be a hole 133 that is normally used forreceiving a lock 21 to secure the product to the base (FIG. 30). Inother embodiments, the hole 133 may be specifically designed forreceiving the lifting eye 22 (FIG. 30). In some embodiments, the holespecifically designed for receiving the monitoring device 25 may belocated in a point, an intermediate adapter, an adapter, a nose of acast lip, a shroud, a lip, a blade, a wear runner, a truck liner, orother products of other kinds of earth working equipment. In addition,the holes 133 are preferably placed in a location that is known toexperience wear so that the lifting eye 22 experiences wear and theelectronic device 35 may detect the wear of the product 15 and/or thelifting eye 22.

Monitoring device 25 may comprise more than one lifting eye 22, i.e.,multiple lifting eyes 22 and multiple devices 25 may be used together tomonitor multiple ground engaging products. For example, a bucket 3 mayhave multiple ground-engaging products 7 and at least one lifting eye 22with at least one device 25 installed in each product 7 so that theprogrammable logic receives the information from the multiple devises 25and process the data from each device 25 to identify and determine thecondition and health of each product 7. Alternatively, multiple devices25 may be secured to a single product. As one example, a device 25 couldbe secured to the product and another device 25 secured to the base(FIG. 5). As another example, a plurality of devices 25 could be securedto the ground engaging product.

For all the embodiments, the monitoring device 25 and/or remote device38 can use programmable logic to process information generated from,e.g., devices 25 and/or the remote devices 38 for identifyingcharacteristics such as the part ID, presence, condition, usage and/orperformance of the ground engaging product being monitored and/orproviding alerts to the operator. Processors (e.g., microprocessors),using programmable logic may be part of monitoring device 25 and/or aremote device 38. The programmable logic included in a remote devicemay, for example, use information received from monitoring device 25 toidentify that the product 15 is still secured to the base 13. When theproduct has unexpectedly been separated from the base 13, the monitoringdevice 25 may send a different signal indicating a change in thecondition of the product 15. In another example, the processor may useinformation about the geology of the mine site in combination with thewear information from monitoring device 25 to determine, e.g., theestimated wear life remaining for the product. In another example, theprogrammable logic may use the number of digging cycles or the durationthat a ground engaging product has been in service to determine theestimated wear life remaining. The programmable logic may be programedto produce a precautionary alert that a specific product is close toneeding replacement. The alert may be, for example, a visual alert,haptic feedback, and/or an audio alert. The devices 25 and/or 38 maywirelessly provide the alerts to equipment operators and/or wirelessdevises for access by the operator or others such as maintenancepersonnel, mine site managers or the like. In addition, the programmablelogic may be programed to produce an alert if the condition indicates,e.g., that the ground engaging product has been unexpectedly separatedfrom the base, broken, or is at or near a fully worn condition.

The monitoring device 25 and/or remote device 38 may be, for example,passive or active and may include a receiver, transmitter, and/or adigital sensor. The receiver and/or transmitter may be, for example, aradio communication device, an electromagnetic wave receiver and/ortransmitter, a mechanical wave receiver and/or transmitter, a laserreceiver and/or transmitter, or Global Positioning System (GPS). Theelectromagnetic waves preferably have a wavelength outside of thevisible spectrum (e.g., infrared, microwave, or Radio Frequency [RF]),but may be in the ultrasonic spectrum. Further, the devices 25, device35 may include a temperature sensor, a camera, a digital inclinometerunit, a digital compass, an RFID, an accelerometer, a timer, a proximitysensor, a force sensor, a position sensor, and/or other sensors thatprovides information regarding the operating conditions in which theground engaging product is being used.

The results and alerts from the process may be sent to at least oneHuman Machine Interface (HMI). The HMI could, e.g., be a handheld device39 as shown in FIG. 11, mounted in a cab of a vehicle such as a diggingmachine or haul truck, or in an office location. The features, events,data or the like detected by the monitoring device can be processed withother collected or stored data by programmable logic to determine a widevariety of factors that may influence the mine operator. As an example,the system may determine the anticipated fully worn condition using dataon past usage of the equipment, real-time monitoring of the equipment,outside factors such as the hardness or abrasiveness of the earthenmaterial being worked, the material composition of the ground engagingproduct being monitored, etc. The data may also, as an example, becoordinated with other scheduled maintenance to determine the mostefficient time to replace or maintain the product being monitored. Inturn, the HMI can on the basis of the detected features and/or processedinformation provide alerts, data, expected wear lives, and the like formore efficient use of the earth working equipment.

The monitoring device 25 may also communicate with other computersystems, wirelessly or through a cable, the specific ground engagingproduct(s) needing maintenance either because the ground engagingproduct is separated or because there is an indication that the groundengaging product may need maintenance. In addition the monitoring devicemay store all of the results from the process. The HMI may be hard wiredto a remote device or may be a wireless device, may be integrated with adisplay system currently in the excavating equipment (e.g., with the OEMdisplay), integrated with a new display system within the excavatingequipment, and/or may be located in a remote location. The HMI may beconfigured to provide a graphical display of the current condition ofthe ground engaging product. The HMI may, for example, provide visualalerts (e.g., text and/or pictorial images), haptic feedback (e.g.,vibrations), and audio alerts regarding the condition of each groundengaging product. The visual alert may be, for example, a graphicalpicture displaying each ground engaging product and the condition ofeach ground engaging product (i.e., absent/present, acceptable wear,needing maintenance). The HMI may be designed to display a live image ofthe ground engaging product so that an operator can visually check thatan alert is valid. The HMI may be designed to display a history chart sothat an operator can determine when an alert happened so that anoperator can take the necessary actions if a ground engaging product isunexpectedly separated. The HMI may include a display 41. The display 41may include various visual indicators including but not limited to:photographs of, for example, similar ground engaging products from adatabase; photographs taken with camera at the worksite, such as withcamera 190 on boom 2 (FIG. 12); remaining wear life; bucketconfiguration; etc.

In use, monitoring device 25 may be installed in recess 50 as a part ofthe manufacturing process or in the field. When the monitoring device 25is installed in recess 50 at the time of manufacture, it may also beused to track shipping progress, inventory levels of the products 15,and/or when products are removed from inventory for use. In addition,the monitoring device 25 may be able to detect if the product 15experienced a condition that has the potential to damage the groundengaging product during shipping. Alternatively, monitoring device 25may be installed after the manufacturing process and may, for example,be installed in lock 21 (as discussed below) while in inventory or atthe time of installation of the a new ground engaging product on theearth working equipment.

In another example, a monitoring device 25 can provide data for areal-time assessment of characteristics of an operation. For example,the tool can monitor the load gathered in a bucket and in the truck traybeing filled to provide information to the operator on more efficientlyfilling the truck tray. As an example, the system may indicate theawaiting haul truck will be completely filled with the bucket being onlypartially (e.g., half) filled. In this way, the system can increase theefficiency and production of the operation. Real-time assessments can beused in other ways such as to optimize the digging path, schedulemaintenance, estimate production, etc.

In another example, a monitoring device 25 can be used to generate datausable to map a mine site or other earth working site to estimatecharacteristics of the ground-engaging products on earth workingequipment used at the site. For example, the gathered data could be usedto generate contour-style mapping of wear rates for ground-engagingproducts to better determine such things as product replacementschedules, costs, etc. In one example, the data gathered by device 25could be combined with other data such as mine geology, GPS data,fragmentation, etc. The data could be used to map other characteristicsor process the site data in ways other than mapping to generate similarinformation.

In one embodiment, with any of the monitoring devices, eachground-engaging product 15 on lip 5 includes a monitoring device 25. Themonitoring devices 25 detect each other in established positions for theequipment on which they are secured. Alternatively (or in addition to),all the monitoring devices are detected by a remote device 38 (or aplurality of remote devices). Loss of a product (e.g., through breakageor pin ejection) results in loss of the monitoring device from theestablished electronic framework; i.e., a significant change in positionof the monitoring device is detected when one monitoring device deviatesbeyond a certain range of its established position with the othermonitoring devices. The range of expected motion caused, e.g., bydigging is determined by considering such things as the type of groundengaging product, wear, the operation of the machine, etc.Alternatively, the remote device 38 detects the positions of themonitoring devices 25 to ensure the presence of each product in itsestablished position relative to the other monitoring devices 25. Ineither case, by detecting the presence of the product through itsrelative position and orientation with the other products, the systemoperates irrespective of the movement and operation of the earth workingequipment with the ground engaging products.

In one embodiment, a camera could be attached to, e.g., the bucket,boom, stick, machine, drone, service truck, or other support to providea visual double check for the operator. For example, a camera 190 can besecured to the boom 2 to capture (at least part of the time) a visualimage of the ground engaging products attached to the bucket 3. When themachine operator (or another) receives an alert that, e.g., a groundengaging product has separated, a display showing the visual imagewithin the cab can be checked to ensure the noted ground engagingproduct is actually missing from the bucket. This backup system canreduce false alarms that cause the operator to stop operation of themachine.

In another embodiment, systems involving cameras such as used in priorart systems or as disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Applications62/116,216, and 62/151,124, and the U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/043,433 claiming priority on these two applications and filedconcurrently with this application on Feb. 12, 2016, which isincorporated by reference in its entirety, can be used in combinationwith the monitoring systems described in this application. Theinformation received from the camera-based systems can be used as abackup double check to reduce the number of false alarms. Alternatively,the monitoring devices disclosed herein could be a backup double checkfor the camera-based monitoring systems. Further, the data collected byboth a camera-based monitoring system and a non-camera based monitoringsystem (such as disclosed herein) could be collectively processed todetermine, e.g., the part ID, presence, usage, condition and/orperformance of the ground engaging product. The full data received byboth systems could lead to more reliable conclusions and assessments.

The above disclosure describes specific examples products and systemsfor identifying characteristics such as the part ID, condition, usage,presence and/or performance of a ground engaging product used on earthworking equipment. The features in one embodiment can be used withfeatures of another embodiment. The examples given and the combinationof features disclosed are not intended to be limiting in the sense thatthey must be used together.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A monitoring system comprising: aground-engaging wear part secured to earth working equipment, the wearpart including an exterior surface, an opening that opens in theexterior surface, and an attachment secured in the opening such that theattachment can be removed from the opening from outside the exteriorsurface, the attachment having a monitoring device including anelectronic device to monitor at least one characteristic of the wearpart, and a communication device to wirelessly transmit data gathered bythe electronic device during use of the ground-engaging product by theearth working equipment; at least one remote device to wirelesslyreceive the data; and at least one programmable logic device to processthe data to provide information related to the at least onecharacteristic of the wear part.
 2. The monitoring system of claim 1wherein the attachment is a plug.
 3. The monitoring system of claim 2wherein the wear part includes a lock received in the opening to securethe wear part to the earth working equipment, the lock includes arecess, and the plug is removably secured in the recess and therebyinhibits an accumulation of earthen fines the recess.
 4. The monitoringsystem of claim 3 wherein the lock includes a collar secured in theopening, and a pin threaded in the collar, and wherein the pin includesthe recess.
 5. The monitoring system of claim 2 wherein the wear partincludes a lock received in the opening to secure the wear part to theearth working equipment, and wherein the plug is received in the openingover the lock and thereby inhibits an accumulation of earthen fines inthe opening.
 6. The monitoring system of claim 3 wherein the plug iscomposed of an elastomeric material.
 7. The monitoring system of claim 2wherein the wear part includes a through-hole, and a lock received inthe through-hole to secure the wear part to the earth working equipment,and wherein the through-hole is separate from the opening.
 8. Themonitoring system of claim 1 wherein the attachment is a lifting eyemechanically secured in the opening.
 9. The monitoring system of claim 8wherein the wear part includes a collar secured in the opening, and thelifting eye includes a mounting shank that is threaded into and securedin the collar.
 10. The monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the at leastone programmable logic device provides information to identify the wearpart.
 11. The monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the at least oneprogrammable logic device provides information on whether the wear partremains secured to the earth working equipment.
 12. The monitoringsystem of claim 11 including a human display interface to providereal-time information on whether the wear part remains secured to theearth working equipment.
 13. The monitoring system of claim 1 whereinthe at least one programmable logic device provides information on theamount the wear part has worn.
 14. The monitoring system of claim 1wherein the at least one programmable logic device provides an estimateof the useful life remaining for the wear part.
 15. The monitoringsystem of claim 1 wherein the at least one programmable logic deviceprovides information on the condition of the wear part.
 16. Themonitoring system of claim 1 wherein the at least one programmable logicdevice provides information on the usage of the wear part by the earthworking equipment.
 17. The monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the atleast one programmable logic device provides information on theperformance of the wear part during use of the earth working equipment.18. The monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the at least oneprogrammable logic device provides information on the occurrences ofimpact on the wear part.
 19. The monitoring system of claim 1 whereinthe wear part is attached to a digging edge of a bucket.
 20. Themonitoring system of claim 1 wherein the wear part is a component of anexcavating tooth.
 21. A ground-engaging wear part for earth workingequipment comprising an exterior surface, a mounting cavity configuredto receive a base for securing to a digging edge of bucket, an openingthat opens in the exterior surface, and an attachment secured in theopening such that the attachment can be removed from the opening fromoutside the exterior surface, the attachment having a monitoring deviceincluding an electronic device to monitor at least one characteristic ofthe wear part, and a communication device to wirelessly transmit datagathered by the electronic device.
 22. The wear part of claim 21 whereinthe attachment is a plug.
 23. The wear part of claim 22 including a lockreceived in the opening to secure the wear part to the earth workingequipment, wherein the lock includes a recess, and the plug is removablysecured in the recess and thereby inhibits the accumulation of earthenfines the recess.
 24. The wear part of claim 23 wherein the plug iscomposed of an elastomeric material.
 25. The wear part of claim 22including a lock received in the opening to secure the wear part to theearth working equipment, wherein the plug is received in the openingover the lock and thereby inhibits the accumulation of earthen fines inthe opening.
 26. The wear part of claim 22 including a through-hole anda lock received in the through-hole to secure the wear part to the earthworking equipment, wherein the through-hole is separate from theopening.
 27. The wear part of claim 21 wherein the lock includes acollar secured in the opening, and a pin threaded in the collar, andwherein the pin includes the recess.
 28. The wear part of claim 21wherein the attachment is a lifting eye.
 29. The wear part of claim 28including a collar secured in the opening, wherein the lifting eyeincludes a mounting shank that is threaded into and secured in thecollar.
 30. The wear part of claim 21 wherein the electronic deviceprovides data to identify the wear part.
 31. The wear part of claim 21wherein the electronic device provides data pertaining to whether thewear part remains secured to the earth working equipment.
 32. The wearpart of claim 21 wherein the electronic device provides data pertainingto the amount the wear part has worn.
 33. The wear part of claim 21wherein the electronic device provides data pertaining to the conditionof the wear part.
 34. The wear part of claim 21 wherein the electronicdevice provides data pertaining to the usage of the wear part by theearth working equipment.
 35. The wear part of claim 21 wherein theelectronic device provides data pertaining to the performance of thewear part during use of the earth working equipment.
 36. The wear partof claim 21 wherein the electronic device provides data pertaining tothe occurrences of impact on the wear part.
 37. The monitoring system ofclaim 21 wherein the wear part is configured for attachment to a diggingedge of a bucket.
 38. The monitoring system of claim 21 wherein the wearpart is a component of an excavating tooth.